Zambia’s former Vice President Guy Scott dies at 82

WEB DESK: Zambia’s former Vice President Guy Scott, who made history in 2014 as Africa’s first white head of state in two decades, has passed away at the age of 82, the government confirmed on Wednesday.

Scott died at his farm in Lusaka’s Leopards Hill area following an illness, according to an official statement.

He served as vice president under former President Michael Sata from 2011 to 2014 and briefly assumed the role of acting president after Sata’s death in October 2014, holding office until January 2015.

His short tenure marked the first time in two decades that a white leader headed an African nation, following the end of South Africa’s FW de Klerk presidency in 1994.

Born in Zambia to Scottish parents, Scott was a Cambridge-educated economist. However, he was barred from contesting the following presidential election due to constitutional requirements that both parents of a presidential candidate must have been born in Zambia.

The government said President Hakainde Hichilema has granted Scott a state funeral in recognition of his public service.